The *Engagement* Story

So here is what you have all been waiting for...

So there I was...

It was a Friday and Jordan and I went to the mall because I needed to buy a new pair of jeans. Well for those of you that know Jordan, you know that she likes to do random things, this particular time she wanted to go into all of the jewelry stores in the mall and see how long it took the people working there to come up and help us. So anyway, we went into all of the stores and I didn't really see anything that I liked and then we FINALLY made it to the last one...Zales. There it was, a ring that I loved...it was the only one that I had seen in the entire mall that looked like a ring that I would want.

Jordan called Jake and told him about...and this is where the story really begins. I called Jake after Jordan and told him that Jordan's call wasn't any pressure and to not worry about it, we were just excited because it was the only one that we had seen that I liked and was similar to rings that I had seen in the past and wanted.

Jake has a big night planned that night with his brothers playing video games and had to get off the phone with me to lock Doc up and get ready to go, so he promised to call me in a little while and we said goodbye.

About and hour after that I tried to call Jake again because I hadn't heard from him and I thought he said he was going to call me sooner that and he didn't answer, but called me about 10 minutes later and apologized. He said he had to stop by one of his brothers houses to get a video game controller that he had left on accident. (This was not so true) Jake had really gotten off the phone with me and tried to drive to the mall before it closed, but when he realized he wouldn't make it he called Zales and asked them about the ring, and they said they would try to run his card over the phone. Well, Jake has some sort of protection on his card that won't let him spend over a certain amount without authorization and so his card got declined.

The Zales lady said she would hold it for him until the morning since he obviously had every intention of buying it. There was just one problem...Jake and I were going to be out of town the next morning so how was he going to get it?

Solution: Jake told one of his brothers about it and he offered to go get it for Jake the next morning. His brother got there, bought the ring and then told all of the people that worked there the story and that Jake and I would be there later that day and that they should play along.

After we got back in town on Saturday Jake wanted to go to Zales so that he could at least see the ring, so we went (even though Jake knew it would be gone). When we get there I ask the lady about the ring, and she remembered me from the night before and said that she was so sorry, but that they had sold it that morning but that we could keep checking back if we wanted because they might get another shipment of the ring. Jake acted so upset. He was more upset then I was. He stayed this way for the next couple of hours.

So Jake woke up on Monday and decided that he was going to propose on Tuesday and went to work to make that happen. He told me that he was going to go put air in my tires and really went to his brothers house to pick the ring up. Later that day he texted me and told me that he wanted to go back up to Zales on Tuesday after I got out of class to see if they had received another ring yet. Then he told me later that he was going to help a friend move and that he and David would be back for dinner after that.

David really did go help someone move but Jake did not go help him. He really had gone through my phone earlier in the day and gotten my dad's cell phone number and called him and asked if he could come out to my parent's house to talk to them. So instead of helping someone move Jake went to my parent's house and asked them for their blessing.

He arranged with David to show back up at the house at the same time so that I didn't suspect anything and we had dinner and hung out as usual that night. I was in class all day on Tuesday from 9:30 to 5 o clock. I called Jake when I got out of class and he still wanted to go to Zales. I was not very happy about this because I had a lot of homework to do and I had had a rough day. Not only that but Jake wouldn't bring Doc with him which meant we had to drive all the way back to his house before going to my house.

Jake had called Zales earlier that morning to make sure the didn't have the ring, so that he wouldn't have to buy it twice, so I got to the mall first and called Jake to let him know that they still didn't have the ring and he picked me up and drove the longest way ever back to his house. Needless to say I still wasn't in the best mood because I kept thinking of all of the stuff that I could have been doing.

We FINALLY get to Jakes house and Doc runs to greet me at the door and so I pick him up and start playing with him. Jake asks me if I could come into the kitchen for a minute and I see flowers that he had gotten me on the kitchen table and then he gets down on one knee in front of me. I thought he was picking something up and was pretty confused. Then he said "Will you marry me?" and I thought he was kidding and responded by laughing and said "are you kidding?" and he said "No, will you please answer the question." Then I saw the ring and was really confused because it was supposed to have been sold to someone else. I finally realized what was happening and obviously said yes, or I wouldn't be writing this post.

Anyway, now I have a wedding to plan that is coming soon in October :-)

Friends are Kisses Blown to Us...

I've been thinking a lot lately about friends and what that word means...what is my definition of friendship? I have a lot of different kinds of friends...some that I've had for a long time that I don't talk to very often but when we do get on the phone with each other we can talk for hours and it's like no time has passed at all. This is Kendal. Kendal is one of my best friends from high school. We were best friends and we dated boys that were best friends. Kendal and I played basketball together and I love her a lot. She is always there even now when we only talk every couple of months. If I have something I need to talk about and I don't know who to call I can call Kendal and I know she gets it.
Then there is Leah: Leah and I used to spend every weekend at each others houses. We played soccer together and literally were together all the time. We scheduled our classes in high school so that we would have them together. She went to UNCW for college and I went to NC State and now UNCC and we rarely talk on the phone but we see each other over almost every break from school and when we do talk we have the same friendship we had five years ago in high school and it's refreshing to know that we are still there for each other.
Then there are the friends that you see everyday and so you have a different dimension of friendship when it comes to these people.
My Sister: I live with my sister and so I see her everyday and she is my best friend. She knows everything that happens on a day to day basis and is there to tell me what she things about things.
Jordan is a really strong person that I look up to (literally and figuratively). When I'm in a bad mood she can make me laugh, when I'm upset, she's who I want here to talk to about it. The best thing about Jordan is that she is family and so she will always be there.
My parents:As I have gotten older my parents have become some of my best friends. I feel comfortable saying whatever I want to to them and when I'm having a bad day I'll call them because my dad will tell my it's out of my control anyway and my mom will give me every reason that she can think of for me to not be upset about whatever it is. They also encourage me when I want something, like changing my major 3 times and transferring schools and even my decision to move to Utah a few months ago. They want what's best for me and I want what is best for them too.
My boyfriend: Jake is pretty much the sweetest person that I know. It blows my mind sometimes when I realize over and over again that what he wants the most is for me to be happy and he makes it very obvious. I think that it's incredible how sure and steady he is about things, especially us because I don't tend to have a lot of faith in relationships. I know that I can talk to him about anything and that even if he doesn't totally understand he'll let me get it out and say what he can to try to make me feel better or gain a new perspective on something. It also seems to come really easy to Jake to tell me how he feels especially when it's about me, and I admire that because I don't always have the easiest time talking about how I feel. He makes it a little easier though because he really listens and takes it in and respects and understands how I feel about everything.I think it's really cute that he knows, to the day, how long we've been dating and that he gets excited to play the Rite Aid game of life with me, and how he wants to win the convertible as the grand prize because I told him I would marry him next month if he did. I like that he wants me to come to his basketball games and family dinners. I like that he says he lives Grey's Anatomy and he understands the importance of being home by nine on Sundays to watch Desperate Housewives. I like that he lets me pluck his eyebrows and cut his hair. I like that he surprised me with flowers because I had a bad day at work. I like the way he wants to spend all his time with me and how I know he's the best guy I've ever dated and that he treats me better then anyone else ever has.
Laura: Laura is my cousin. I love Laura to pieces! She is just a sweetheart. She is always looking out for other people and calculating how her actions will affect those around her. She is hardworking and dedicated to everything that she does. She lives in Utah and I got to spend a weekend with her back in October and she is such an example of everything that is good. She concentrates on positive in life and often times I concentrate on the negative so when I start to do that I try to think of Laura and what she would say about things. Also with Laura are Steve and Melanie, I just don't have a picture of them. Steve and Melanie are some of the most generous people that I know. They are welcoming and warm. I can talk to them about anything and they are so open to anything I have to say. I just love them and their family and can't wait to spend the summer with them!
Russo: That's right, Russo is my family's dog. She is one of my favorite friends because she is always so happy to see me. It could be because I always feed her sandwich meat when I'm at home but I think it's more then that. I never have to question how Russo feels, she always meets me at the door with her tail wagging or she sits in front of me and puts her paw on my leg. I really do think that Russo is smart and sometimes really do expect her to talk back to me, I know she understands how the people in my family feel and she is an exceptional part of our family.
This is just a quick snapshot of the most important people in my life right now, there are many more and maybe I'll add another post that includes them because that people in our lives make us who we are.